Blogs from Gyeonggi English Village, Paju Camp, Paju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, Asia - page 3

WHEW! Has it ever been a while! And an eventful one at that! Hello, all. I've missed you. So, the goings-on that can be easily explained with a word or two have been few and far between as of late. English Village is going through quite the rough spot now that H1N1 Influenza A is successfully circulating the country. This is causing all of the schools (who have had us booked solid through 2011 until now) to cancel their programs and packages with us. As a result, EV is losing a considerable sum of money. And, subsequently, the troubles are being handed down to us, the staff and faculty. That's about as simply as it can be put. In addition, the changes being brought about by certain members of administration are adding to the strain. Because ... read more

Hello everyone, I thought I only had a few takers on this blog, but I have a few more than I thought and I thank you for reading it. I have gradually become quite busy. As part of my work, I am taking a course out of Harvard call "Teaching for Understanding." That meets on 2 Saturdays a month, plus two nights a week. We also go to church on Sat. (the English service is on Sat.) or go with the boys on a field trip. I have started to teach a class twice a week, I am planning lessons and help guiding teachers--so I have a lot on my plate. I'm glad that there is a bit of a routine developing. It is a refreshing change from working in American public schools. Oct. 3rd was ... read more

Hello, All! I have some wonderful news, some slightly old wonderful news, and general updates for you all. First and foremost, I have turned down an offer to renew my contract in return for a Harvard course training and certificate. I will in all likelihood be coming home in June of 2010, as scheduled. I can't wait to see you all! Secondly, I found out today that my application for promotion has been accepted. I am now the Shift leader for 1-9 and the Evening Activities Coordinator. The job entails a lot, so I won't bore you with the details. I'm looking at a lot of overtime before winter VIP starts up, but I have a great support system and am really looking forward to getting to teach in all of the different content areas instead ... read more

Hi friends and family, We arrived safely on a lovely flight through LA to Korea on Asiana airlines (a Korean airline). Boys watched a couple movies and played games on their personal screens located on the seat in front of them. We were picked up and whisked away to Paju English Village which you can google and see on the internet. The English Village is a place where Korean school kids can come for 1-day, 1-week or 1-month (during the summer) programs to practice English. The teachers come from Canada, America, South Africa, Great Britain and Zimbabwe. Chris and Nick played touch Rugby last Monday and did pretty good! The village is western architecture and nothing like Korea itself. There is an art village across the street with restaurants, coffee shops, and galleries. A bit expensive. ... read more

Hello, all! I have a phone! Email me privately if you would like my international number. YAY!!! And for all of you skeptics out there (Jenn, Josh, I'm looking at you), I will have you know I solidly survived over a month without a cell phone and slept infinitely better without the 4am texts and calls. Sure I was a little twitchy and would wake up in a cold sweat, searching frantically for my alarm function, but I managed and came out just fine. This week marked the beginning of our One Month Program, VIP (Vacation Intensive Program). It was an intense and exhausting week. The kids were separated into houses and I was dubbed House Captain for 40 11-year-old girls. We are Summer Safari (yeah, you know me!) (You down wit OPP?) and we managed ... read more